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The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that the U.S. Coast Guard crews are searching for a downed civilian aircraft off the coast of South Carolina. The Coast Guard said that the Piper PA-31 was reported missing about 110 miles off the coast of Charleston at about 11:33 a.m.  It was traveling from South Carolina to the Bahamas, when the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center received a report from the aircraft of an in-flight emergency. Air traffic control later lost contact with the plane on radar and notified the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. The Coast Guard said the Cutter Hamilton crew will continue to search for the aircraft throughout the night, while air assets will conduct a first light search Friday morning. ...Read more

Defense Secretary James Mattis is expected to signe an order to deploy hundreds of active duty troops to the southern border, as a caravan of migrants makes its way through Mexico toward the United States. The initial estimate is that 800 to 1,000 service members could deploy in logistical support of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), such as setting up tents for border authorities. These active duty forces will not act in a law enforcement capacity; instead, they will strictly provide logistical and technical support to CBP.  There are already about 2,000 National Guard troops called up by the governors of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to support the Trump administration’s border security mission.  ...Read more

The stock market plunged Wednesday, with the Dow falling more than 600 points, a 2.4% drop and the S&P 500 dropping more than 3% as well. Both the Dow and S&P 500 are now down for the year. The Nasdaq plummeted more than 4%, which is its worst daily drop since August 2011. It is now in a correction, down nearly 13% from its all-time high set earlier this year. Technology stocks and media and communications companies accounted for much of the selling. AT&T dropped after reporting weak subscriber numbers, and Texas Instruments fell after reporting slumping demand.  ...Read more

On Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump said that threats of political violence have no place in the United States, promising a full investigation into suspicious packages that were mailed to prominent Democrats and other organizations. At an event on opioid abuse, Mr. Trump first addressed the incidents, saying “the full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice. We will spare no resources or expense in this effort. In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together, and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.” Earlier on Wednesday, the Secret Service said it had intercepted suspicious packages sent to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Packages were also mailed to CNN, billionaire George Soros, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, and others. All of the packages had a return address of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat. ...Read more

The New Jersey State Health Department said Tuesday that six children at a long-term care facility for medically fragile children in Wanaque, New Jersey have died as a result of a severe outbreak of adenovirus, and 12 others have become ill. The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation “has been instructed not to admit any new patients until the outbreak ends and they are in full compliance. This is an ongoing outbreak investigation,” the health department said. Children at this center are severely disabled and for most, the center is their permanent home; some will live there from birth through age 21. The center is licensed to provide long-term care for 92 children and 135 adults. The strain of adenovirus identified at the center, No. 7, usually causes acute respiratory illness, such as pneumonia, croup and bronchitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control. According to the NJ state health department “unfortunately, the particular strain of adenovirus in this outbreak is affecting medically fragile children with severely compromised immune systems. The combination of a worse strain of adenovirus, together with a fragile population, has led to a more severe outbreak.” ...Read more

On Tuesday Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, announced that she has the beginning stages of dementia, and “probably Alzheimer’s disease.” The 88-year-old said in a public letter that her diagnosis was made some time ago and that as her condition has progressed she is “no longer able to participate in public life.” O’Connor added, “while the final chapter of my life with dementia may be trying, nothing has diminished my gratitude and deep appreciation for the countless blessings in my life. As a young cowgirl from the Arizona desert, I never could have imagined that one day I would become the first woman justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.” O’Connor’s announcement of her diagnosis came after a story was published that she had stepped back from public life. Her son, Jay O’Connor, said that his mother had begun to have challenges with her short term memory. O’Connor was 75 when she announced her retirement from the court in 2005, a decision which was influenced by the decline in the health of her husband, John O’Connor III, who himself had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. O’Connor last spoke in public more than two years ago. ...Read more

On Monday a California judge ruled that attorney Michael Avenatti, who represents adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, must pay $4.85 million to an attorney who worked at his former law firm. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dennis Landin ruled that Avenatti personally guaranteed a settlement with attorney Jason Frank, who said Eagan Avenatti misstated its profits and that he was owed millions of dollars. Frank had worked at Avenatti’s former firm under an independent contractor agreement and was supposed to collect 25 percent of its annual profits, along with 20 percent of fees his clients paid, court documents say. ...Read more

The National Hurricane Center said on Monday that Hurricane Willa, a potentially catastrophic storm, travelled towards Mexico’s Pacific coast with winds of 155 mph. Forecasters expect the Category 4 storm to make landfall along Mexico’s southwestern coast this afternoon or evening. Willa — described as an “extremely dangerous storm” — is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over west-central and southwestern Mexico. Willa was located about 135 miles south-southwest of Las Islas Marias, Mexico, and some 110 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, the hurricane center said as of 5 p.m. on Monday. Hurricane warnings were posted for a stretch of shore between San Blas and Mazatlan. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Playa Perula to San Blas and north of Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya. ...Read more

Six people were wounded, three critically, in a possible gang-related shooting blocks from the Florida stadium where the NFL’s Houston Texans played and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said several shots were fired about 12:35 p.m. Sunday on a boulevard outside in the general area of the stadium. Five men and one woman were struck by bullets and wounded. He said all were rushed to hospitals, ranging in age from 20s to 70s. The shooting came before the game’s scheduled 1 p.m. start, which went on and concluded without incident. Authorities had no immediate report on what led up to the shootings. The sheriff’s office tweeted that three of the wounded were rushed in critical condition for care. An update on their conditions wasn’t immediately available. ...Read more

People from across the U.K. gathered over the weekend in London to take part in a public protest over Brexit. The march, which organizers said drew more than 600,000 to west London’s Park Lane, was called by People’s Vote, a group that’s campaigning for the the public to have a say on any final Brexit deal to prevent the ruling Conservative government from forcing it through Parliament. As the March 29, 2019 deadline when Britain officially leaves the EU draws ever closer, the negotiations on Brexit have the general public divided, as well as made anxious many investors and businesses. ...Read more